1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to apparatus for manufacturing folded pads from material cut from a continuous web, and more particularly to apparatus for cutting pieces of textile-like material from a continuous web and thereafter folding the pieces into folded pads and ironing, stacking, and counting the pads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,814 illustrates exemplary apparatus for cutting a continuous web of textile material into individual pieces and then folding the pieces along three fold lines. The primary application of the machinery embodied in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,814 patent is to cut and fold gauze into pads useful as surgical sponges. However, the apparatus may also be utilized to cut and fold paper and other materials for diverse purposes.
Subsequent to cutting and folding, the gauze pads are typically stacked and counted. U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,517 teaches a preferred machine for stacking and counting the folded pads after they are cut and folded on a machine similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,814. The pads are transferred by means of fingers from the folding machine to discharge chutes wherein the pads are stacked vertically on their edges. Electrical circuitry counts the number of pads entering the chute. After a predetermined number has entered the chute, a suitable mechanism displaces a pad horizontally or vertically from the other pads, thus giving a visual signal that a complement of the required number of pads has entered the chute.
The manufacture of folded gauze pads preferably includes the step of ironing them. Ironing assures that the pads retain their flat, folded configurations. To accomplish that purpose, apparatus such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,953 has been successfully employed. Each folded pad is carried over a heated concave surface by a rotating ironer covered with a flexible covering material, such as canvas.
The previously described machines have enjoyed considerable commercial success. Nevertheless, all are somewhat deficient in light of modern production requirements. For example, the cutting and folding machine illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,328,814 employs a large number of reciprocating, oscillating and cam driven parts. Operational speeds that meet contemporary demands result in high acceleration forces and stresses on the reciprocating and oscillating members. Excessive wear on cams and vibrations may also be a problem. Consequently, there is a need for a cutting and folding machine that is suited to continuous high speed operation.
It is presently considered desirable to iron the folded gauze pads prior to stacking and counting them. The ironing device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,953 is difficult to integrate into the overall manufacturing system. Additionally, the previous ironer is not entirely reliable, because the leading edge of a pad occasionally protrudes ahead of the rotary iron. In those instances, the pad is not ironed uniformly, and an unironed bulge remains. It is therefore desirable to improve the pad ironing apparatus.
The stacking and counting device of the 3,054,517 patent, although generally satisfactory, nevertheless possesses some shortcomings. For example, horizontal displacement of a selected pad presents a problem; as the vertically stacked pads are shoved down the discharge chute, the side walls of the chute tend to push the displaced pad back into line with the other pads. As a result, the displaced pad is sometimes difficult to detect. Thus, a need exists for a stacking and counting device that reliably indicates a complement of finished pads.